1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable garment press assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mechanical, non-electrical garment press assembly for enabling travelers to mechanically remove wrinkles from garment sections, which garment press assembly is designed to fit within standardized carry-on luggage, and has certain garment pressing methodology associated therewith.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The field of garment pressing arrangements and the like is fairly well-developed. Some of the more pertinent prior art is briefly described hereinafter. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,360 ('360 patent), which issued to Lee, discloses a Portable Ironing Press including Chain, Gear, and Spring Arrangement for Pressing Articles. The '360 patent describes a portable ironing press that uses a compression spring to generate pressure between two pivotable plates for smoothing out a garment. The press includes a chain-and-gear arrangement to selectively apply the pressure of the spring to the plates. It is noted that the subject invention does not include spring resistance in its methodology as compared to that taught by the '360 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,931 ('931 patent), which issued to van Kuijk, discloses a Portable Unit with Universal Clip. The '931 patent describes a portable unit, comprising a housing, a clip piece fixed to the housing by a hinge, and spring means which press the clip piece against the housing for forming a clip which is suitable for being clipped over an edge of a garment. The clip piece has an essentially L-shaped part with the hinge being fitted at a distance from one leg of the L-shaped part. The axis of the hinge runs essentially parallel to said one leg of the L-shaped part and such that the one leg extends past the hinge in the longitudinal direction of said one leg. It is again noted that the subject invention does not include spring resistance in its methodology as compared to that taught by the '931 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,792 ('792 patent), which issued to Hanada et al., discloses a Free Standing, Upright Clothes Press. The '792 patent describes a vertical-type clothes press, in which clothes such as pants or the like held between a fixed board and a movable board can be pressed for smoothing or creasing, includes a mount base, a fixed board vertically mounted thereon and having a heater, a movable board having a hollow structure for hot-pressing clothes held between itself and the fixed board, a hinge mechanism which rotatably connects the lower ends of the fixed board and the movable board and mounts the movable board openably and closably on the fixed board opposite to each other, a lock mechanism for holding the movable board against the fixed board, a press sheet having one end attached to the connection between the fixed board and the movable board and rotatably provided between the movable board and the fixed board, reinforcements provided along the side end faces of the press sheet in a vertical direction, and a bias device provided on the opposite side of the hinge mechanism for pulling clothes or the like held between the fixed board and the movable board in a direction away from the hinge mechanism.
A shift of the centroid becomes small when the movable board is open. Thus, the fixed board can be stably installed in a vertical direction, and a shift in position for the clothes to be pressed is prevented. Further, an operation for putting the clothes in order becomes easy and the clothes are equally smoothed and pressed. It is noted that the subject invention does include a lock mechanism for holding opposed boards together much in the same manner as your boards are locked together. This patent thus presents a certain obstacle which you will have to overcome in order to gain the allowance of patent claims.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,254 ('254 patent), which issued to Docker, discloses a Trouser Press/Ironing Board. The '254 patent describes a combined trouser press and ironing board assembly. It comprises a heatable pad against which a surface of a pressure plate is clampable in a first position to sandwich a garment to be pressed therebetween. The pressure plate is mounted by means which allow said plate to be moved relative to the heatable pad into a second ironing position in which the pressure plate extends laterally outwardly relative to the heatable pad so that the surface thereof which was facing the heatable pad in its first position now provides the surface on which a garment can be placed for ironing.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,786 ('786 patent), which issued to Lee, describes a Handheld Pressing Pad and Method of Removing Wrinkles. The '786 patent describes a method of removing wrinkles, and a device to assist in wrinkle removal. In this regard, it will be seen from a review of the '786 patent that wrinkles are removed from items such as clothing, linens, curtains, upholstery, fabrics and the like by placing a handheld pad on one side of the item, a wrinkle-removing device (such as a nozzle of a garment steamer) on the other side of the item, and pressing a portion of the item between the pad and the wrinkle-removing device.
The wrinkle-removing device and the pad are moved about the item compressing a small portion of the item at a time until the wrinkles are removed from the entire item. The pad device of the instant invention includes a working surface against which a portion of the item is pressed by the wrinkle removing device, and a handgrip for the user to support the pad on a user's hand. The pad includes a foam core that insulates the user's hand from heat of the wrinkle-removing device. The foam core is located within a heat-reflective pouch to further insulate the user's hand and to aid in wrinkle removal.
From a consideration of the foregoing, it will be noted that the prior art perceives a need for a portable garment press assembly usable in combination with standardized carry-on luggage assemblies comprising resilient outer planar members for sandwiching target garment sections and together may be bowed and retained in tension via certain tensioning means doubly useful to clamp ends of the outer planar members toward one another. In this last regard, the prior art perceives a need for such a portable garment press assembly, luggage combination, and pressing methodology as summarized in more detail hereinafter.